Daniel watched her, trying to delete the image of her naked on his desk. He couldn’t remember an occasion where he’d been so desperate for a woman he’d wanted to have sex with her on a desk. And it wasn’t as if that had solved the problem. He wondered how soon it would be reasonable to leave and go back to his apartment.
Lucas looked amused. “You psychoanalyze my characters?”
“Impossible not to, although the way you mix up different traits makes it pretty hard to come up with a specific diagnosis or profile.”
“She probably picks the perfect partner for them,” Daniel teased, but he was intrigued that Molly enjoyed Lucas Blade’s books as much as he did. He watched her face as she talked to Lucas. She was animated, intelligent and had plenty to contribute.
Her level of knowledge always impressed him and Lucas was clearly impressed, too, as they exchanged thoughts on personality types.
“The thing that makes your books so scary is the characters. It’s not what they do, it’s the fact that the crime is committed by someone we could all know. The friendly local cop, or the nurse on the ward. Your books challenge our intrinsic belief that we’re safe.”
“And you think that’s a good thing?” Eva put her fork down. “I do not want to think that I know anyone who might be capable of committing murder. We’d better change the subject or I’ll be waking up screaming again.”
“I’ll lend you Valentine,” Molly said. “He’s a terrific guard dog. I never feel unsafe when he’s with me.”
Hearing his name, Valentine lifted his head and his ears pricked up.
“Yes, we’re talking about you,” Eva said. “He’s beautiful and you’re lucky. I’d love to have a dog.” She glanced hopefully at Lucas who raised an eyebrow.
“Are you looking at me with those big blue eyes for a reason?”
“There’s no point in having big blue eyes if I can’t use them to elicit an emotional response from you. You’re the one who has sent my fear levels soaring into the stratosphere. I never used to be suspicious of people until I met you. I trusted everyone. Now I’m wary.”
“Being wary can be a good thing,” Molly said, and Daniel sensed she was thinking of her own experience. She hadn’t just been let down by strangers. She’d been let down by people she’d called friends. It was hardly surprising she was wary.
Lucas topped up the wineglasses and looked at Eva. “You only want a dog because we rescued that abandoned dog from the park at Christmas. It wouldn’t work. We can’t handle a puppy, Ev. You’re out for most of the day and I’m shut away in my study working.”
“I don’t want a puppy, I want a rescue dog who needs a loving home. I want to make a difference to a dog’s life, the way Molly did with Valentine.”
“He’s the one who made a difference to my life,” Molly said. “When I first moved to New York, I knew no one.”
Daniel thought about Brutus and wondered how he was getting on in his new home. He hoped the dog had ended up with people as loving as Molly. He made a mental note to ask Harriet next time he saw her. “Walking a dog is great exercise.”
“Don’t give her yet more reasons to persuade me. And anyway,” Lucas said, frowning, “you don’t have a dog.”
“I’ve been walking one of my sisters’ rescues. To help out.” He met Molly’s gaze and saw a dimple appear at the corner of her mouth.
“That’s how we met,” she said, and he wondered if she was going to tell them that he’d borrowed the dog, but she didn’t.
Instead she held his gaze, her eyes alight, teasing him.
He loved her smile. It started at her mouth, with the slow curve of her lips and the flicker of the tiny dimple, and finished at her eyes. He could tell she was enjoying their secret.
“You met walking the dogs?” Eva stood up. “That’s romantic.” She started clearing the plates, but Daniel took them from her.
“I’ll do it. Sit down.”
“You’re the guest!”
Lucas pushed her gently into her chair. “You cooked. We’ve got this.”
“If you insist.” Eva turned back to Molly. “You must have been lonely moving here from London and knowing no one. Do you often go home? I’ve only been to London once. It was a school trip, and I remember it rained the whole time.”
“I think of this as home now.”
“But you left everything behind. That’s brave. What made you do it?”
Seeing how uncomfortable Molly was, Daniel intervened. “She had a job offer.” He stacked the plates on the kitchen island. “And who wouldn’t want to move to New York? It’s the best city in the world.”